Quality Magazine

Check out the December 2019 edition of Quality: Quality 4.0 for medical device manufacturing, automated metrology, gage trends, plastics, materials analysis and much more!

Rapid, Accurate Materials Analysis with a 2-Methods-In-1 Solution

Use microscopy to visualize the structure and laser spectroscopy to know the composition.

James DeRose, PhD. Kay Scheffler

December 2, 2019

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The advantages of a 2-methods-in-1 materials analysis solution combining optical microscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for simultaneous visual and chemical inspection are described.

Crystal Ball Gazing: Gage Trends and Metrology

When you look at how far gages have come in just the last 20 years, you might wonder what, if any, types of technological enhancements might be on the horizon.

Christine Spisto

December 2, 2019

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Although predicting the future is hardly a precise science, it’s possible to identify trends and there have been some recent shifts worth noting.

Automated Metrology: Manufacturing Trend of the Future

Most manufacturers looking to automate metrology are in search of a better way to handle inspection tasks and, in turn, be more efficient and profitable.

Ken Myers

December 1, 2019

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Much has changed over the years regarding the manufacturing process. Perhaps one of the biggest changes for modern manufacturers is that, today, it’s all about data.

Self-learning Robots Solve Tasks with the Help of an Ensenso 3D Camera

Seen, Stored, Learned

Sabine Terrasi

December 5, 2019

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Trying out different behaviours is one of the classic learning methods. Success or failure decides which behaviour is adopted. This principle can be transferred to the world of robots.

Machine Vision: Inspecting Reflective Surfaces with Deflectometry

Reliable detection of even the tiniest scratches.

Johannes Hiltner

December 5, 2019

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Machine vision processes have become standard practice in quality assurance. Inspecting reflective surfaces, however, presents a challenge. A technology known as deflectometry can be used to reliably detect all types of defect even in these circumstances.

Better Processing Power Makes Fast and Precise Color Vision a Reality

As manufacturers today face increasingly stringent quality requirements, new and improved color vision technology provides a welcome solution.

James Mortell

December 2, 2019

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In the past, the amount of processing power necessary to perform color-based machine vision applications was often an insurmountable hurdle. Even when manufacturers did offer color vision, they would typically convert images to grayscale prior to analysis—a strategy that significantly reduces precision and fails to detect edges defined by similar colors.

Investing in Lighting Control

A number of factors come into play that can affect light intensity.

Jools Hudson

December 2, 2019

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Lighting and lighting control is a critical component of any machine vision system since it has a massive influence on the signal to noise ratio and contrast in the images acquired.

Trends in Machine Vision Sensors

Predictive maintenance, OPC unified architecture, and quantum dot technology are just some of the new buzzwords in this space, according to industry experts.

Genevieve Diesing

December 2, 2019

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Sensors that report a factory’s performance by measuring machine functioning, downtime, and production goals are in high demand.

Thermal Imaging for Quality Control

A thermal imaging camera can make infrared light visible.

Michael Beising

December 2, 2019

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Thermal imaging can be used for quality control in many industries. It is a nondestructive inspection method, which is especially used to detect flaws that are not visible on the surface.

Helping Robots Stay on Target

Both accuracy and repeatability are key performance characteristics that influence the robot's ability to meet a manufacturing process's needs.

Elena Messina Jeremy Marvel

December 2, 2019

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For decades, many manufacturers have counted on robots to tirelessly produce parts of predictable quality. One of the key attributes of robots is their repeatability, which means that their tool tip will return to the same pre-programmed location with a known and relatively small error.